"Buffalo Soldier" is a

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

song written by

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

and Noel "King Sporty" Williams and recorded by Jamaican band

Bob Marley and the Wailers Bob Marley and the Wailers (previously known as The Wailers, and prior to that The Wailing Rudeboys, The Wailing Wailers and The Teenagers) were a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae band. The founding members, in 1963, were Bob Marley (Robert ...

. It did not appear on record until the 1983 posthumous release of ''

Confrontation Confrontation is an element of conflict wherein parties confront one another, directly engaging one another in the course of a dispute between them. A confrontation can be at any scale, between any number of people, between entire nations or cult ...

'', when it became one of Marley's best-known songs. The title and lyrics refer to the black US cavalry regiments, known as "

Buffalo Soldier Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This nickname was given to the Black Cavalry by Native American tribes who fought in th ...

s", that fought in the

American Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, were fought by European governments and colonists in North America, and later by the United States and Canadian governments and American and Canadian settle ...

after 1866. Marley linked their fight to a fight for survival, and recasts it as a symbol of black resistance.

Background

The origin of the term "Buffalo Soldier" is theorized as given to black troops by Native Americans. The name was embraced by the troops, who were well acquainted with "the buffalo's fierce bravery and fighting spirit". The Buffalo Soldier's duties were settling railroad disputes, building telegraph lines, repairing and building forts, and otherwise helping settlers colonize lands taken from Native Americans. They were also tasked with protecting the colonizing settlers from Native Americans. The song's bridge, with the lyrics ''woe! yoe! yo!'', was rumored to be inspired by the chorus from

The Banana Splits ''The Banana Splits'' is an American television variety show produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and featuring the Banana Splits, a fictional rock band composed of four costumed animal characters in red marching band hats with yellow plumes. ...

' " The Tra-La-La Song", the 1968 theme from their TV show, written by

Mark Barkan Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fin ...

and

Ritchie Adams Richard Adam Ziegler (December 15, 1938 – March 6, 2017), known professionally as Ritchie Adams, was an American singer and songwriter. Biography Born in New York City, by 1959 he joined The Fireflies, and sang lead vocals on their hit reco ...

. There has been no proof of this, and an August 2008 story by the BBC seems to cast doubts on this origin story, while acknowledging that the two riffs are extremely similar, and that Marley could very well have heard the tune, as could his producer.

Reception

'' Cash Box'' said that the song's "socio-political theme, steady rhythmic stream and strong but sweet vocals re-emphasize what Marley's magic was all about."

Music video

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

was produced for "Buffalo Soldier" to promote the single.Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine

Charts

Certifications

References